Lather generator



Nov. 28, 1967 c. T. MENZEL 3,355,151

LATHER GENERATOR Filed OCL. l0, 1966 v 5 Sheets-Sheet l arma/L77?? NOV- 28, 1967 c. T. MENZEL 3,355,151

LATHER GENERATOR Filed Oct. l0, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 j; f4 je 75cll Nov. 28, 1967 c. T. MENZEI.

LATHER GENERATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. l0, 1966 United States Patent tilce 3,355,151 LATI-HER GENERATOR Conrad T. Menzel, Milwaukee, Wis., assigner, by mesne assignments, to John Uster Manufacturing Co., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Oct. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 585,598 11 Claims. (Cl. 259-10) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A lather generator having a screw type agitator received in a generating chamber, one end of which is provided with an outlet of reduced cross section and having a back pressure creating plate with peripheral notches between the screw and the outlet. Control means for the lather generator providing sequential operation of the motor for driving the agitator and the valve for delivering soap solution thereto.

This invention relates generally to lather-making machines of the type used by barbers, and more specifically it comprises an improvement over the lather-making machine disclosed and claimed in Brown Patent No. 2,510,955.

Lather-making machines are used in barber shops to produce quickly and simply a warm light soap lather to be used by the barber in shaving the face as well as the neck and along the hairline. The lather-making machine should produce the soap lather of proper and uniform consistency quickly with a minimum of effort on the part of the barber. Since the barber is normally occupied with holding the straight razor in one hand, it is desirable for the machine to be operable with one hand and to have the soap lather discharged into the hand which operates the machine. With respect to the consistency of the soap lather, it is important that it be light and dry but at the same time have enough body so that it may wet and soften the hairs about to be shaved.

It is conventional in this art to utilize a soap solution which is premixed and placed in the reservoir of the machine. When soap lather is desired by the barber, a valve is opened permitting the soap solution to ilow into a generating or mixing chamber within which a moving impeller is mounted to beat the solution into the desired lather. A spout is provided to permit discharge of the lather from the mixing chamber. ln order to restrict flow of the lather from the mixing chamber until such time as it has been agitated suiciently to produce a lather having adequate body, it is necessary to create a back pressure in the generating chamber by restricting the discharge from the spout. The patent to Brown No. 2,510,955 discusses this problem in detail and discloses one type of baille plate which is used in the lather discharge passageway to create the necessary back pressure which in turn results in the desired consistency of the foam.

The present invention relates to a lather-making ma chine having an'improved baiile in the mixing or generating chamber so that a more uniform and more consistent lather is obtained. In prior art devices it had been noted that when the barber started up the lather-making machine for the lirst time each morning, there would be condensed lather in the form of a` liquid lying in the bottom ofthe mixing chamber. When the lather-making machine was first energized, the member or agitator in the mixing chamber would throw the liquid out of the discharge opening causing the barber much annoyance since the liquid would be thrown violently from the discharge spout rather than being discharged slowly `as in the case of lather of theproper consistency. Thus, the prior art bathe plates were reasonably effective to build up a back Patented Nov. 28, 1967 pressure with respect to lather which had been properly generated by the member or agitator. In the case of left over or leaked liquid soap solution which was present in the mixing chamber at the start of a days use, the baflle plate was ineffective in preventing such liquid from being discharged violently from the spout.

In lather-making machines of the type using a liquid soap solution and a motor driven agitator for obtaining the lather, it is desirable to energize the motor causing the agitator to rotate rapidly before introducing the soap solution into the mixing chamber. It is considered desirable, therefore, to operate the lather machine in a sequence in which the motor is energized initially and the liquid soap control valve is opened a short time thereafter. In order to accomplish this sequencing of operations, many of the prior art lather-making machines have associated the motor control switch and the mixing valve together so that they could be operated with one hand while the other hand would be required to receive the lather being discharged from the mixing chamber through the discharge spout. Because of the fact that the barber is normally occupied with one hand holding the razor, it is very desirable to have the controls on the lather-making machine arranged so that they may be operated by the same hand that will receive the generated lather simultaneously.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved lather-making machine having a mixing lor generating chamber and baffle plate arranged to eliminate the discharge of liquid soap therefrom.

-It is a further object of the present inv\ention to provide an improved lather-making machine having a single control lever for sequentially operating the motor switch and the liquid soap control valve.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved lather-making machine in which the operating lever for the machine is arranged so that the operator sequentially energizes the motor and the liquid soap control valve and simultaneously positions his hand to receive the lather generated by the machine.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a lather-making machine having improved control means which are simple and 4almost friction free in its operation of the motor control switch and the soap liquid dispensing valve.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out .with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a lather-making machine embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is .a vertical, sectional view taken on line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan View of the lather-making machine of FIG. 1 with the bottom cover plate removed to expose the interior of the housing; l

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, horizontal view taken on line 4-'4 of FIG. 2 assuming FIG. 2 shows the complete machine; l,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, vertical, sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a greatly enlarged, sectional View taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a lsectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 8 is arschematic wiring diagram of the electrical circuit use-d in the lather-making machine of the present invention.

The invention provides a lather-making machine having a sim'ple and effective operating means for starting the lather making operation and dispensing the lather produced into the hand of the operator which is controlling the operating means. An elongated operating lever is provided which through a link member applies a downward force to a switch and valve actuator which is supported at one end by the valve stern which controls the delivery of soap to the generator and at the other end by the switch which controls the energization of the motor for producing lather from the liquid soap. The actuator is supported so that upon operation of the operating lever the motor switch is closed and immediately thereafter the valve is opened permitting the liquid soap to be discharged onto the already rotating impeller or agitator. The actuator is supported at either end by the switch and the valve stem and is only guided with respect to a supporting frame so that the mechanism is simple and has relatively low rictional losses.

The motor driven agitator or impeller is positioned Within a tubular generating chamber having a discharge spout at one end thereof. Between the agitator and the discharge spout there is provided a baille or priming plate which causes a back pressure in the lather produced in the generating chamber. There are small notches around the periphery of the baffle which permit the lather to pass from the generating chamber into the discharge spout. These notches are arranged out of alignment with the discharge spout so that any liquid or wet foam within the chamber at the time the agitator begins rotation may not be thrown out through the discharge spout onto the operator.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown a lather-making machine designated generally by reference numeral 11. As is best illustrated in FIGS. l and 2, the machine 11 includes a base housing 12 and an upper housing 13 which, along with a base plate 14, t together to form a two compartment housing within which most of the operating mechanism of the machine is housed. The base housing 12 and the upper housing 13 are secured together by means of upwardly extending screws 15 which are best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The base housing 12 is somewhat rectangular in its plan view and is of inverted cup-shaped configuration having the base plate 14 secured thereto by means of screws 16 to close the downwardly facing opening therein.

For the purpose of supporting the lather-making machine 11, there are provided four rubber buttons or feet 17 which are supported in the corners of the base plate 14. Within the lower compartment formed by the base housing 12 and the base plate 14, there is mounted a motor, designated generally by reference numeral 18, and a lather generator 19. While the motor 18 may be of any suitable type of fractional horsepower electric motor, the embodiment disclosed herein includes a series wound motor having a field 20 and an armature 21 which includes a shaft 22 supported on spaced bearings 23.

The base housing 12 is a die-cast member having suitable seats and recesses formed thereon to support the eld 20, the armature bearings 23, and the other elementsof the motor. The field 20 is retained in seated engagement with a suitable recess in the base housing 12 by means of retaining screws 24 which clamp pins 25 securely against the die-casting 12. The pins 25 are presstted into the laminations of the field 20. For the purpose of retaining the armature bearings 23 in their recesses in the base housing 12, suitable retaining straps 26 and screws 27 are employed.

The armature 21 is provided with a commutator 28 which is adapted to co-operate with brush assemblies 29. The brush assemblies 29 are also received in suitable recesses in the base housing 12 and are retained in place by suitable assembly screws. The end of the armature shaft 22 remote from the commutator 28 extends beyond its bearing 23 and supports thereon an agitator or impeller 32. The impeller 32 is in the form of a screw having the peaks of the threads spaced closely adjacent to the interior wall of a tubular member 33. The member 33 is cylindrical in shape having an inner closure member 34 extending across the end adjacent the motor 18 and an outer closure member 35 positioned across the other end of the member 33.

For the purpose of discharging lather from the lather generator 19, the outer closure member 35 is provided with a discharge spout 36 which extends outwardly from an opening in the closure member 35. In addition, the base housing 12 is provided with an opening 37 so that the discharge spout may extend well outside of the base housing where lather discharged therefrom may be received in the hand of the operator as is shown in FIG. 1.

Positioned within the tubular member 33 between the agitator 32 and the spout 36 is a bathe plate or priming disc 40 which is best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The balile plate 40 is of substantially the same diameter as the interior of the tubular member 33 so that it may be pressfitted into position as shown in FIG. 6. In order for foam to move from the agitator 32 to the discharge spout '36 there are provided four equally spaced notches 41 which are semicircular in shape as shown in FIG. 5. It should be noted that the notches 41 are positioned out of alignment with the opening in the discharge spout 36. To permit lather to pass behind the priming disc 40 to the discharge 36, the disc is mounted in axially spaced relation to the outer closure member 35 by means of aperipheral flange 43. lt should be noted that the notches 41 extend completely through the flange 43 so that lather may pass freely inwardly from the peripheral notches 41. By being so positioned, the plate 40 prevents any liquid soap or wet lather from being thrown outwardly from the impeller 32 directly through the discharge spout 36. Similarly, the discharge spout 36 is positioned above the axis of the impeller 32 to avoid leakage and provide assurance that only dry lather will issue from the spout 36.

The bale plate tends to create a back pressure in the lather within the generator 19 thereby assuring against premature discharge of lather before it has reached its proper consistency due to the action of the agitator 32. It should be appreciated that the motor 18 is energized to rotate the impeller 32 in a counterclockwise direction as it would be seen in FIG. 5 so that the lather is always urged toward the discharge spout 36 during generation. Because of the action of the agitator in moving the lather to the left as viewed in FIG. 2, the inner closure member 34 at the motor end of the generator 19 may be formed with a slot 42 to facilitate assembly of the lather generator 19 to the end of the armature shaft 22 so that it encloses the agitator 32. Because of the direction of rotation of the screw causing the lather to move away from the closure member 34, there is no tendency toward leakage through the radial slot 42.

The lather generator 19 is retained in position against the upper wall of the base housing 12 by means of a channel-shaped clamping member 44. As may be seen in FIG. 5, the outer walls of the channel-shaped member 44 are cut out at 45 and 46 providing clearance openings which terminate in V-shaped openings which are adapted to engage the underside of the tubular member 33. As may also be seen in FIG. 5, co-operating wall portions 47 on the base housing 12 extend downwardly and straddle the tubular member 33. To retain the clamping member 44 in position retaining the tubular member 33 seated against the base housing 12, there are provided assembly screws 48 as shown in FIG. 3.

Since it is desirable to supply warm lather for shaving purposes, it is conventional to provide lather-making machines with heating devices. Mounted on the inner surface of the channel-shaped clamping member 44 is a liexible resistance heating element 50. The heating element 50 is covered with an insulating material as is conventional in the art and is positioned in a tortuous arrangement as is Ishown in FIG. 3. A retaining plate 51 is positioned between the lather -generator 19 4and the channel-shaped member 44 to retain the heating element 50 in position thereon. The element 50 is a low wattage heater which is kept on continuously to maintain the lather generator 19 warm so that warm lather is produced by the machine 12.

To produce lather within the generator 19, it is necessary to have a supply of liquid soap. For this purpose, the machine 11 is provi-ded with a cup-shaped reservoir 5S which is assembled to the base housing 12 on the upper wall thereof immediately above the lather generator 19. The reservoir 55 is a drawn cup-shaped sheet metal member made of a corrosion resistant metal such as stainless steel. Toward the center of the reservoir there is provided a valve 56 which permits liquid to ow from the reservoir 55 into the lather generator 19. The valve 56 includes a valve seat retainer 57 which is threadedly received in a threaded extrusion 58 extending upwardly from tubular member 33 of the lather generator 19. The valve seat retainer 57 is formed with a flange 59 which engages a gasket at the bottom of the reservoir 55 adjacent the opening therein to seal the valve 56with respect to the reservoir. The retainer 57 is formed with an upwardly extending recess 57a within which a valve seat 49 is positioned. It should be understood that the heater 50 serves to heat not only the generator 19 but also the reservoir` 55 so that the lather produced will always be warm.

Arranged in an axially extendingposition within the valve seat retainer 57 is a valve member 60. 'I'he valve member 60 is an elongated member having an enlarged Valve closure portion 61 at its lower end and an upwardly extending actuating portion 62. Intermediate the ends of the member 60, there is a shoulder portion against which a washer 63 is restrained against upward movement. A valve biasing spring 64 is positioned between the valve seat retainer 57 and the washer 63 to bias the valve member 60 upwardly causing the closure portion 61 to seat against the valve seat 49 thereby preventing uid iiow from the reservoir 55 into the lather generator 19. Downward force on the valve member 60 causes the closure'portion to'be displaced downwardly thereby permitting fluid ow through the valve 56.

In order to close the reservoir 55 to reduce evaporation and prevent foreign material from being deposited therein, there is provided a one-piece plastic cover 66. The cover 66 is formed at its forward edge with an overhanging ledge 67 which permits the cover to be easily raised to provide access to the interior of the reservoir 55. Integrally formed with the cover 66 are a plurality of aligning projections 68, as best shown in FIG. 2, which engage the rinterior of. the reservoir 55 and assure that the cover 66 will beproperly positioned with respect to the reservoir. y

For the purpose of pivotally supporting the cover 66 with respect to the reservoir 55, the upper housing 13 is formedwith a pair :of openings 70 and guiding recess 71 as are best shown in FIG. 4. Extending through the openings 70 and` into the recess 71 are hinge tabs 72 which are formed integrally with the cover 66 and extend horizontally in -a plane displaced slightly downwardly from the -upper surface of the cover 66. Thus, as may be seen in FIG. 1, the hinge tabs 72 extend beneath the upper wallrof the upper housing 13 and arel completely obscured rfrom Aview so that the cover 66 and the upper housing A11i-present a ysrnooth and attractive visual appearance `with no hinge mechanism being visible.

' The upper wall of the upper housing 13 is formed with a'depressed ledge 74 (FIG. 5) adjacent the cover 66 to support the edge of the cover 66` for its hinged movementwith respect to the housing 13. As may best be seen in FIG.y 5, the ledge 74 lappears as a series of spaced upwardly facing shoulders interrupted by the openings 70 and opening 75, the purpose of which will be explained in greater detail below. Thus, the tabs 72 on the cover 66 extend through the openings 70 into guiding recesses 71. When the cover 66 is pivoted upwardly by lifting the ledge 67, the cover 66 pivots about its edge which engages the ledge 74 with the hinge tabs serving to guide the cover in its pivotal movement. Thus the cover 66 may be readily pivoted to the open position for lilling purposes. When it is necessary to empty the reservoir 5S or clean the reservoir, the cover 66 may be readily removed from its position on the reservoir 55 by simply lifting upwardly and disengaging the hinge tabs 72 from the openings 70 and recesses 71.

In order to operate the valve 56 and energize the motor 18, there is provided an operating lever 78 which is somewhat rectangular in conguration having a plastic operating bar 79 positioned along one wall adjacent to the discharge spout 36. The lever 78 includes a pair of parallel arms 78a which are connected to the ends of the bar 79. The arms 78a and the end of the operating lever remote from the operating bar 79 are pivoted to the machine 11 by means of two pairs of slots 12a and 13a formed in the base housing and upper'y housing respectively. Each slot 12a is aligned with a corresponding slot 13a to form two elongated slots on either side of the machine 11 to provide spaced pivots for the operating lever 78. One of the slots formed by the slots 12a and 13a is illustrated in FIG. 2.

Within the upper housing 13, the operating lever 78 is formed with a U-shaped loop 80 which is best shown in FIG. 4. The U-shaped loop 80 provides a secondary lever, the end of which is displaced from the fulcruni about which the operating lever 78 pivots. This secondary lever formed by the loop 80 is joined by a connecting link 81 to an actuator 82. The connecting link 81 is a rigid C-shaped member which is hooked under the U- shaped loop 80 at the lower end and over a pin 83 which is carried by the actuator 82.

The actuator 82 is an elongated channel-shaped member which has one end positioned on the upper end of the valve member 60 and the other end received onvthe actuating button 84 of a small electrical switch 85. For the purpose of guiding the movement of the actuator 82, the upper housing 13 is formed with a downwardly projecting lug 86 which extends through an opening in the actuator 82. When a downward pressure is applied to the operating bar 79, the lever 78'is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as seen in FIG. 2 thereby causing the connecting link 81 to draw the actuator 82 downwardly. As a consequence of vthe relative spring pressure in the switch and the valve 56 as well as the location of the pin 83 with respect to the valve member 60 and the actuating button 84, the right hand end of the actuator 82 as viewed in FIG. 2 moves downwardly initially causing the switch 85 to Ibe closed. Immediately thereafter, the actuator 82 pivots about the actuating button 84 causing the left end ofthe actuator 82 to move downwardlyV depressing the valve member 60 and moving the valve 56 to its liquid ow position.

Referring to the circuit diagram `of FIG. 8, there is shown schematically the circuit connections between the motor 18, the heater 50, and the switch 85. It should be understood that the lather-making machine 11 is energized by a conventional power c'ord 87 which` may be plugged into a power outlet. The motor1'8 and tl'ie switch 85 are connected in series across the two conductors ofthe power cord 87 as shown in FIG. 8. The heater 50 is connected in parallel with the motor 18 and switch S5. It should be evident, therefore, that as soon as the line cord 87 is connected to a power supply, the heater 50 is energized thereby heating the lather generator 19 and reservoir 55. When the switch 85 is closed by the action of the actuator 82, the motor 18 is connected in circuit and begins to rotate the agitator 32.

This sequence of operations is extremely desirable since it `causes ythe motor 18 to -be energized upon closure of the switch 85. This in turn causes the agitator or impeller 32 to begin rotating. Immediately thereafter, the valve 56 opens permitting the liquid soap solution to flow downwardly onto Vthe rotating agitator 32. The fact that the agitator is rotating prior to the introduction of the soap solution results in immediate and complete conversion of the 'soap solution into lather. The lather is caused to move toward `the discharge spout 36 by virtue of the deep threads `formed on the screw-type agitator 32. The priming disc 40, positioned between the agitator 32 and the discharge spout 36, causes a `back pressure to be built up as it inhibits discharge of the lather because of the restricted area ofthe notches 41. This back pressure prevents the lather `from being discharged until it is of a hrm and adequately heavy consistency to properly wet and soften the hair which is to be'shaved The arrangement of the notches around the periphery of the priming disc 40 so that they are out of alignment with the discharge spout 36 provides assurance that no soap solution or wet lather which might have been present within the lather generator 19 will be thrown directly through the ldischarge spout 36. By employing a number of very restricted openings 41, the agitator 32 must generate a foam which builds up to a proper pressure and corresponding consistency before it may pass out of the discharge spout 36.

In considering the relative cross sectional areas `of the tubular member 33, the notches 41 in the priming disc 40, and the discharge spout 36 as shown in FIG. 7, it will be noted that the total area of the notches 41 is considerably less than the cross sectional area ofthe discharge spout 36. In addition, the area 'of the discharge nozzle 36 is considerably less than the cross sectional area of the tubular member 33. As a consequence of this arrangement, the priming disc 40 builds up the back pressure in the lather generator within the member 33. When the lather of the proper consistency is discharged through the notches 41 into the space between the priming disc 40 and the closure member 35, the lather may pass in a free, unobstructed manner through the discharge spout 36 since it is of substantially greater cross sectional area than the notches 41. Accordingly, the consistency of the lather remains unchanged as it is directed from the area beyond the priming disc 40 through the discharge spout 36 into the hand of the operator.

Considering again the operating mechanism for the switch 85 and the valve 56, it should be understood that the present approach has many advantages both from the standpoint of simplicity, convenience, and ease of operation. The actuator 82 is mounted in a more or less iloating relationship to the switch 85 and the valve 56 since it is merely guided on the lug 86 and is urged downwardly by means of a connecting link which is pivoted with re- ;spect to the actuator 82. Thus, there is provided a linkage :system which is substantially friction free and which actu- 4ates the motor and the valve for the foam generator in a desired sequence. In addition, the actuator is positioned :adjacent the discharge spout where the operator may con- .trol the operation of the machine and receive the lather in the same hand. The simplicity of the linkage and the low friction associated therewith is particularly important in view of the fact that the operator is applying force to .the operating bar 79 by means of his thumb alone and, therefore, may not exert as much force as might otherwise be available if the machine were to be operated with one hand and the lather delivered to the other hand.

Although there has been illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may occur to those skilled in the art. It is intended in the appended claims to cover all those changes and modications which fall in the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A lather generating apparatus comprising a tubular lather generating conduit, an elongated screw of uniform diameter received within said conduit in closely spaced relation to Vthe inner walls of said conduit, liquid soap supply means to deliver liquid soap on the top of said screw, an outlet spout connected to one end of said con duit, the cross sectional area of said spout being substantially less than the cross sectional area of said conduit, a motor driving said screw in a direction to move lather produced by said screw toward said outlet spout, a baflie plate positioned within said conduit between `one end of said screw and the end of said conduit to which said spout is connected, said plate comprising a disc the outer edges of which engage the inner wall of said conduit, spaced notches around the periphery of said plate through which said lather passes moving from said screw to said spout.

2. The lather generating apparatus of claim A1 wherein said conduit is formed with an end wall extending substantially perpendicular to the axis of said conduit, an opening in said wall communicating with said spout, said bafe plate being tlat and having a peripheral iange extending toward said spout, the cross sectional area of said opening being as large as the cross sectional area of said spout, said flange engaging Vsaid end Wall and Spacing the Hat portion of said plate lfrom said end wall, said spaced notches being in said flat portion and extending into said flange to permit lather to pass around said plate and through said spout.

3. The lather generating apparatus of claim 2 wherein said notches are displaced from said spout and have a total cross sectional area less than said spout to produce a back pressure within said conduit.

4. The lather generating apparatus of claim 1 wherein the total cross sectional area of said notches is less than the cross sectional area of said outlet spout.

5. A lather producing device comprising a horizontally disposed cylindrical tubular member having an impeller mounted for rotation therein to generate lather from a liquid soap solution, said impeller forcing said lather 'axial-A ly of said member through a discharge spout at one end thereof, said spout having a small cross sectional area as compared to said member and being positioned above the axis of said member, a baie plate positioned within said member and extending across said member between said spout and said impeller to develop a back pressure in said lather before it is delivered to said spout, a plurality of small notches in said plate positioned around the periphery thereof to permit passage of said lather to said spout, the total areas of said notches being substantially less than the cross section area of said spout.

6. A lather producing machine comprising a cylindrical tubular member having a closure at each end, a cylindrical screw positioned coaxially within said member, power means connected to rotate said screw with the peaks of the threads formed thereon in closely spaced relation to the inside wall of said member, a discharge spout communicating with an opening in one of said closures, said openf ing being positioned above the axis of said member and having a small cross section as compared to said member, a bai-lie plate positioned within said member between said screw and said opening and having substantially the same diameter as the interior of said member, a series of spaced notches around the periphery of said plate, said notches being displaced with respect to said opening.

'7. A lather generating machine comprising an upper housing and a base housing assembled together to form two compartments, a cup-shaped reservoir supported on said base housing, a lather generator within said base housing connected to said reservoir by a valve controlled con duit, a lather discharge spout extending from said generator through the wall of said base housing, a motor mount'- ed on said base housing and connected to drive an agitator within said generator, an operating lever having a handle adjacent to said discharge spout and being pivotally mounted with respect to said upper and base housings, actuating means within said upper housing connected to said lever to operate said valve and a switch for said motor, said actuating means comprising an elongated actuator having one end engaging said switch within said upper housing and the other end extending outside of said upper housing into engagement with an operating portion of said valve, and a cover for said reservoir, said cover comprising a one-piece plastic member having hinge tabs extending from one edge thereof, said upper housing being formed with a ledge through which openings and guide recesses extend, said edge of said cover being supported for pivotal movement on said ledge with said tabs extending into said openings and guiding recesses.

8. A lather making machine comprising a frame having a motor and a liquid soap reservoir supported thereon, a lather generating chamber positioned below said reservoir, valve means controlling the flow of liquid from said reservoir to said chamber, an agitator positioned within said chamber and driven by said motor, said agitator being positioned to receivev liquid passing through said valve means from said reservoir, an operating lever pivotally supported by said frame and having a handle at its free end, a lather discharge from said chamber opening adjacent said handle whereby said handle may be depressed with the said hand that is positioned beneath the discharge to receive said lather, and means connected to said lever to sequentially operate said motor and said valve means upon rotation of said lever whereby said motor initiates rotation of said agitator prior to the discharge of liquid from said reservoir ont-o said agitator through said valve means.

9. The lather making machine of claim 8 wherein said means connected to said lever comprises an actuator for operating said valve and a switch for controlling operation of said motor, said lever being connected to apply a force to said actuator between said switch and said valve causing said actuator to close said switch and to open said valve after said switch has been closed.

10. The lather making machine of claim 9 wherein said lever and said actuator are connected by a link which is pivotally related to both said lever and said actuator, said valve having an axially movable valve member to open said valve, said switch having a button operable to close the contacts of said switch, said actuator being supported directly by said valve member and said switch button.

11. The lather making machine of claim 8 wherein said means connected to said lever comprises an actuator, means interconnecting said lever and said actuator to apply a force from said lever to said actuator at a point intermediate the ends thereof, said force turning said actuator first in one direction to close a switch for operating said motor and then in another direction to operate said valve.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,323,377 7/ 1943 Campbell 259-25 2,510,955 9/ 1950 Brown 259-45 3,215,642 11/ 1965 Levy 252-3595 ROBERT W. JENKINS, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LATHER GENERATING APPARATUS COMPRISING A TUBULAR LATHER GENERATING CONDUIT, AN ELONGATED SCREW OF UNIFORM DIAMETER RECEIVED WITHIN SAID CONDUIT IN CLOSELY SPACED RELATION TO THE INNER WALLS OF SAID CONDUIT, LIQUID SOAP SUPPLY MEANS TO DELIVER LIQUID SOAP ON THE TOP OF SAID SCREW, AN OUTLET SPOUT CONNECTED TO ONE END OF SAID CONDUIT, THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID CONDUIT, A MOTOR DRIVING SAID SCREW IN A DIRECTION TO MOVE LATHER PRODUCED BY SAID SCREW TOWARD SAID OUTLET SPOUT, A BAFFLE PLATE POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CONDUIT BETWEEN ONE END OF SAID SCREW AND THE END OF SAID CONDUIT TO WHICH SAID SPOUT IS CONNECTED, SAID PLATE COMPRISING A DISC THE OUTER EDGES OF WHICH ENGAGE THE INNER WALL OF SAID CONDUIT, SPACED NOTCHES AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID PLATE CONDUIT, SPACED SAID LATTER PASSES MOVING FROM SAID SCREW TO SAID SPOUT. 